Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced on Monday afternoon that the defenceman has signed a new three-year contract. Markov could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

“We are very happy to have secured a long-term agreement with Andrei,” Bergevin said in a statement. “He is an important part of our group of core players. He is healthy, shows a very good work ethic and has great leadership skills. He plays big minutes against the top opponents, and game-changing defencemen of his calibre are hard to find.”

Said Markov in a statement: “I am very pleased to be a member of the Montreal Canadiens organization for years to come. I played for the Canadiens for the past 14 seasons, Montreal is my home. I am very confident in our group of players and I want to contribute to the success of our team.”

In 81 games this past season, Markov posted 7-36-43 totals and was plus-12 while averaging 25:14 of ice time. In 17 playoff games, he posted 1-9-10 totals and was minus-4.